Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson finds himself as Michael Jordan's lone peer in amazing rookie NBA stat
Ausar Thompson has entered rare air this season by accomplishing an incredible statistic only Michael Jordan has reached. He's the only rookie since Jordan to record at least 30 assists, 12 steals and 15 blocks in his first eight NBA games.
Thompson is already a fan-favorite in Detroit and continues to show that he has a high ceiling.
Ausar Thompson is dominating in the Motor City to begin the year. He's putting up 12.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks per game and has earned a reputation of a Swiss Army knife.
However, Thompson's numbers appear trivial when looking at Jordan's numbers from 1984. MJ averaged 25.1 ppg, 4.9 apg, 5.6 rpg, 2.8 spg and 2.1 bpg through the first eight games of his career. He put up 201 points in that period while Thompson's points total is 96.
Thompson is a monster on the glass, though. He's leading the rookies in rebounding even though this year's class features two 7-foot unicorns in Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.
Despite being a 6-foot-6 20-year-old, Ausar Thompson is second in the NBA in offensive rebounds and fifth in total blocks.
In just a few games into his career, he's already putting up highlight plays and showing incredible veteran-like maturity on the court. He's making the right reads, making surprising passes, outrebounding taller players and defending like an All-Defensive-level talent.
How is Ausar Thompson playing compared to his brother Amen Thompson?
Ausar Thompson was selected fifth by the Pistons in the 2023 NBA draft, one pick ahead of his twin brother, Amen Thompson. Amen was picked by the Houston Rockets but hasn't created a splash like Ausar has.
A huge reason for Amen's lack of highlights is that he isn't getting nearly as much playing time as his brother. Amen Thompson comes off the bench averaging 16.8 minutes per game. He's a wing who subs in for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks or Fred VanVleet.
Meanwhile, Ausar Thompson is already a starter on the Detroit Pistons. He's averaging 31 minutes per game and has a lot more opportunity to impress fans.
To exacerbate matters for Amen, he suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain against Charlotte in just his fourth game, so we won't see him in action for weeks while his brother Ausar will continue to put up numbers.
There's a lot of trash talk between the twins. They're both 6-foot-6 wings and have placed a bet on who will dunk on the other first. The similarities in their heights and games make for an interesting wager.
The first meeting between the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons will take place on Jan. 1, and the second is scheduled for Jan. 12. There's no timetable for return for Amen Thompson, but fans are hoping they can see them in action against each other this year.